Five for Friday 7/11

Wow! I feel like the weeks are starting to fly by, and I don't want that! On the flip side, we've been making the most of our summer and have done quite a lot this week.

We had a very fun 4th, beginning the day with a little trip up to a nearby train town for their quirky walking parade. We went last year and had a blast, but it wasn't quite as good this year. Still, Keagan was thrilled to see 5 trains pass through!

Later we went swimming, and someone's becoming fearless around the water. Uh oh!

Last Saturday, we made a trip down to Williamsburg. Keagan was thrilled to see the horses. Steven and I remembered why locals hate summertime down there. TOURISTS. EVERYWHERE. Traffic was terrible, and it was so busy. Still, Colonial Williamsburg was nice to walk around once we got there.

During the weekdays, we've been filling up our time with play dates. I'm loving being able to get together with some of the moms from our new church and start to build relationships. And Keagan is loving having other kids to play with during the week.

This week is all about the deals! Tuesday was IHOP's 56th anniversary, so we met up with a group of about 24 others from our church (including kids) and all got short stacks for $.56!

But today is the deal I've been waiting for...Cow Appreciation Day!!

Keagan and I have done this one for the past two years, and of course we're going again today! I think we finally got the trick of the easiest, best cow costume!

And finally, Cassie from Funky in Fourth is celebrating her 100 follower giveaway with some amazing prizes! Her blog is precious, so please go check it out and send her some love!

Okay, time to make some cow costumes! Maybe I'll even share the pictures later!

Bringing Words to Life: Bringing Vocabulary into the Earliest Grades

Can you believe we're already four weeks into summer? Well, I know some of you are much further along than that. My mom starts back next week (she's a high school secretary). Eeek! I still feel like summer just started. I've seen a few people post about their goals for the school year, and it's freaking me out. I'm not ready to be at that point yet. Slow down and let me enjoy my summer!!

Of course, I am thinking about school a little with my weekly book study, but I swear to you that this is as far as it goes...for now. I'm sure once August hits, I'll be in the swing of things trying to get my room ready and plan for the beginning of the year. Maybe that's when I'll put down my reading for fun and actually pick up The Book Whisperer that I was given by our librarian who just retired. So excited to have snagged it for free!

Anyway, this week is all about bringing vocabulary to the primary grades. I honestly thought about skipping over this chapter since I work with 3-5, but I'm glad I didn't! It's fascinating to see what vocabulary students are capable of learning even at such a young age if they are given the best opportunities. And if you're an upper grades teacher (even up to middle and high school), next week is your chapter!

Of course, primary students will not come across very many Tier 2 words in their own reading, so instruction at this stage is almost completely through oral language. It doesn't matter if they cannot read the word yet as long as we can introduce it to their vocabulary. There are two great resources for selecting words to teach younger learners:

• ideas presented in books that students can read on their own (A story about kids eating cookies would be an opportunity to teach words like scrumptious, devoured, and even famished.)
• trade books that the teacher reads aloud to the class

When selecting words at this stage, look for words that are probably unfamiliar but that the student can relate to and use in regular conversation. The number of words taught depends on whatever time constraints you may have, although I would recommend anywhere from 6-10 over the period of at least one week (same as their recommendation in Chapter 3).

Unlike teaching vocabulary to older students, instruction at this age takes place AFTER the story is read and discussed. The only exception would be for quick explanations of words necessary for comprehension. The authors actually provide steps for instruction when working with students at this age.

1. Review the story context for the word (In the story, the children devoured the cookies).
2. Explain the meaning in a child-friendly way (Devour means to eat very quickly as if the food is about to disappear). Often this is best done by adding an example to the meaning.
3. Ask children to repeat the word. This helps build a memory for the sound and meaning of the word.
4. Provide examples in contexts other than the one used in the story. This is very important because students need to realize that there are other ways to use the word. (I could devour a really good book. A dog may devour your food if it falls on the floor.)
5. Have students create their own examples, and encourage them to move away from simply repeating the same context as the story.
6. And as always, it is very important to provide plenty of opportunities for students to interact with these new words.

As children are providing their own examples and experimenting with new vocabulary, teachers need to make sure examples are appropriate. This can be done through adding more context in their response to the child. For example, if you asked students to name something they might gaze at on a hot day, a student may say a swimming pool. The teacher would then respond by asking if the student might gaze at the pool because the water would help them cool down.

This chapter was also full of great ideas, and I may already be trying some of them out on my own son! Wouldn't it be fun to have a 2 year old announce that he was exhausted and needed to go to bed? Hehe!

Two for Tuesday Sale!

I'm finally getting into my blogging groove as most of you are already halfway into your summer. Oh well, better late than never, right?

Now that I'm FINALLY caught up on my blog feed, at least for now, I saw that a lot of you were participating in a Two for Tuesday sale. That sounded like a great idea, so I decided to join in! Although apparently this is the last week for this link-up. ::Insert sad face::

For those of you who don't know, this is a linky where everyone chooses two products from their store to put on sale for 50% off for ONE DAY ONLY! That's a huge savings! I decided to select two of my newest packets.

Both of these packets include 12 themed literacy centers that will take you through the entire school year. The centers include colorful, fun cards, graphic organizers, and answer keys to make checking work easier. These usually sell for $9, but today you can snag them for $4.50! That's a pretty big deal! Go check them out, and then be sure to see what other items people are linking up today!

Monday Made It

I'm so excited to finally have something to share for Monday Made It! I really admire those of you who can share something every week, but I'm just not that crafty. I mean, I have a million things pinned and have barely tried any of them. It's bad.

Anyway, I have to give credit to my mother-in-law for even having something this week. We had a family cook-out for the 4th, and she sent home the stuff to make whoopie pies. Steven usually does the cooking and baking at our house (jackpot!), but he was busy Thursday. So I was in charge of making them.

We searched the internet and found this recipe for making them from cake mix (I need my crutch) because we knew they would need to have that certain spongy texture. It also includes instructions for the cream filling, but we just used store-bought whipped icing.

I loved this summer velvet box because it was perfect for the 4th! The blue was so pretty and came out really well. My only complaint was that the two cake mixes had slightly different textures, which made it difficult to get the tops and bottoms to be the same size. I guess that's a perk for using the exact same mix for both sides. Also, I think it would've been better to use an ice cream scoop so they were more round. I got better at pouring, but mine were definitely ovals.

After letting them all cool completely, I just spread icing and topped them with another "cookie". The icing was very thin, so I would recommend adding more (or maybe even trying hers for a thicker filling) if you try this. Still, they were yummy!

Now I just need to finish them off because I've been bad about sweets lately with them around...

Bringing Words to Life: Introducing Word Meanings AND What I'm Wearing Wednesday

Wow, I can barely believe I'm actually posting two days in a row! Of course it helps that I'm on summer break AND don't have company. This is our first "normal" week of summer. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that I also have time to actually READ some of your posts before Keagan wakes up. I'm WAY behind and feel like I've been the world's worst bloggy friend ever since March! I promise I care, and I do try to read at least some of your posts, even though I don't always have a chance to comment!

But now it's time to get down to business. Chapter 3 is Introducing Word Meanings, so hopefully there will be a lot of real application that you can take home from this post. And remember, I'm just skimming the surface of this book, so if you want to dig deeper I recommend getting it! I actually just bought the companion, Creating Robust Vocabulary, which includes extended examples and also answers many FAQs. I can't wait to dig into it!

But back to Chapter 3: We need to first answer three important questions.

When? It is usually best to introduce new words before reading. That way students are able to focus more on comprehension as they read. If you are reading together, however, and come across an unfamiliar word in the middle of the text, you may QUICKLY stop and explain it. But be careful to keep it short and simple, and don't do it too often because it will mess up the flow of the story. You can also introduce words AFTER reading. This is the perfect time to discuss those words that may have appeared in the text but weren't necessary for comprehension of the story.

How Many? Here is your magic number. Ready to write it down? The authors recommend sets of 6-10 words over a span of 5 to 9 days. That doesn't mean introduce all 10 words on the first day, though! It's best to gradually add words, maybe 3-5 per lesson. Then build on these words WHILE still doing meaningful activities with the first words.

How? This is the tough one, and the book gives quite a few examples.

First off (and I'm guilty of this), do NOT ask students, "Who can tell me what ____________ means?" How many of you are with me? I hung my head in shame. The problem with this tactic is that students begin guessing wrongly, and then we have to undo those connections they made, which is very difficult. Plus we just wasted a lot of time that could have been used more wisely. Oops! Only do that if you're pretty sure the students do know or can figure out what the word means.

Second, don't start with the dictionary. I'm sure you have seen students copy down a definition, and they have NO IDEA what it means. I especially cringe when it takes up about 4 lines, and it might as well be written in French. Not only did they waste time, but they just wasted paper and are no closer to understanding the word than before they began.

Instead, create student-friendly EXPLANATIONS. Did you notice that I didn't say "definition"? Yes, students need to understand the meaning of the word, but they also need to be able to see how it is used. I've seen a teacher (myself included) give a student-friendly definition, but they don't provide enough explanation for the student to use it properly. Then I look at a sentence they create, and it makes no sense because they don't know how to use it properly. I need to start saving examples of these, but I'm sure you've seen them. Something like, "I am controversy" when they really mean "My friend and I had a controversy over how she treated another girl, and now we aren't friends anymore." The second sentence not only uses the word correctly, but it also provides a clear example of what a controversy actually is.

ONE LAST VERY IMPORTANT THING: It's imperative that we don't simply give them these new explanations and then throw a few worksheets their way and hope it works out. We need to create meaningful activities for students to PRACTICE using these words and understanding them fully. The book gives quite a few examples (Word Associations, Have You Ever..?), but I'm just going to share one.

Which Would...? 
This is an activity where you ask students what they would prefer if given two alternatives. For example: "Which would you rather anticipate - your birthday or a trip to the dentist? Why?"

Whatever activities you choose, it is important that students are engaged and have to process the meaning in order to use the word appropriately. This is not easy to master when we use a simple worksheet that was already created for us.

And that wraps up Chapter 3! I hope you're getting as much out of this as I am. I've been very encouraged by your comments. Come back next week to read about bringing vocabulary to the primary grades.

And if you're still with me...

I'm finally getting the hang of the mirror selfie (although it's a good thing I was quick at the gym. A lady with no shame came out of the shower a few seconds after I snapped the first shot. Eek!!), although I still feel silly doing it!

Old Navy has kind of been my go-to place recently. I found a few cute work out clothes there, which makes going to Body Pump that much more enjoyable. Btw, this was my second class in a week! I'm hoping this go again Friday and keep it up. We don't go on vacation until the end of August, and I plan on looking hot! The top on the right is from Old Navy last year, and it's still one of my favorites. Flowy, cute, and easy to dress up or down! What are you wearing? Go link up!

Currently July

Ahh, my first summer Currently of the year! Can you believe that July 4 is this Friday?

Listening: I LOVE this show! Although I must say that they broke my heart at the end of Season 3. I was SOO upset! Please tell me Season 4 has a happier ending...

Loving: We finally caved and bought a Roku, which has been so nice. We cancelled cable almost 2 years ago, but I've missed having options. Now we can watch anything on Amazon Prime! Plus this means I can finally watch Downton Abbey on the TV instead of my little 7' screen on the Kindle. Much better!

Thinking: A friend of mine let me borrow the book, and I really like it! Unfortunately I have to wait until Keagan is sleeping. But that's also my blogging time, cleaning time...so many choices, so little time!

Wanting: Keagan and I went for our first play date this summer, and we had so much fun! There were 3 other moms and about 9 kids. We have a few more play dates set up, but Steven and I also plan on getting together with a few of the couples in our group. It should be quite a social summer!

Needing: I've already been fortunate enough to have 2 hours of quiet time from Keagan's nap, but I have a few more things to do. At least I've been able to vacuum...

4th Plans: There's a potential that we will have a Tropical Storm to deal with, but I'm hoping it doesn't put a damper on our plans. Keagan decided he loved fireworks after Memorial Day, so I'd hate for him to miss them. Plus we're supposed to go swimming before dinner with the family on Friday. Maybe they will at least reschedule fireworks somewhere nearby if we get rained out.

I also posted today on Adventures in Literacy Land about reading picture books in the upper grades, so go check it out!

Five for Friday - Summer is HERE!!!

It's Friday of my first full week of summer, and I'm living it up! My parents are in town visiting, so I'll keep it pretty short. And warning before you begin reading: I'm not mentioning ANYTHING school-related!

Tuesday was our 8th anniversary, and we had free babysitting since my parents are here. We took advantage of it and enjoyed a very nice dinner at Julep's. So yummy!!

The next day, we went to Maymont to see the animals. It was a lot of walking, but it was worth it. The coolest part was getting to see the bear. He actually sat down and enjoyed an apple right in front of us. Yeah, that's a real picture my dad managed to capture!

Keagan had a blast, and I think he's LOVING having his grandparents here to enjoy!

Days have been hot, but the evenings are perfect for eating outside! We've been enjoying lots of food on the grill.

Yesterday was the perfect day for the beach, so we made the trip down to Sandbridge. It was our first beach trip this summer, so it took a little while for Keagan to remember he liked it. After about an hour, you couldn't pull him away from the water. I literally dragged him kicking and screaming back to the chairs for him to eat some lunch. We were out for at least 4 hours. Unfortunately we all left with a little bit of sunburn even though we reapplied sunscreen. Luckily his is pretty light, but he's not a fan of being rubbed down with Aloe. He'll just have to get used to it!

I can't wait to make even more memories this summer and am so glad it's finally here!